Icy Strait Point Trail/hiking Details for bear spotting

[Jeeden]

My group has a whale watching excursion booked for the morning at ISP and I think we are looking at lunch, shopping, and hopefully some bear spotting in the afternoon (zipline seems great, but a bit $$$ for the ride), but I can't seem to figure out the details on the trail situation if someone has information...

 

I have seen some maps that show some trails around the adventure center, but then I read about everyone doing "the nature trail" which is basically a road that parallels the green transporter gondola. Is it not possible to walk the trails/boardwalks the bear spotting tours use on your own? We don't need a "real" hiking trail, but would frankly like to have a similar experience to the tours, but on our own to accommodate our schedule and our budget.

 

 

Understand we would need to be "bear aware" etc. 

 

Thanks!

Edited January 23, 2023 by Jeeden

[JRoyston]

I did the bear search excursion, and they drive you out to the trails, so I don’t think they are easily accessible from the visitor centre/dock.

I did see a bear when we did the excursion, but it isn’t guaranteed. I don’t know if there are any other trails that might also be good for bear spotting.

[Northern Aurora]

I have been to ISP several times and my impression is that @Jeeden has not.  Am I correct?

 

In any event there is what is described as a "nature trail" but I would describe it as a path.  The trails which the bear spotting tours use are old logging roads not in the ISP compound at all but are miles away.  While folks probably should not say "never"  the odds of seeing a bear in the ISP approach zero.  And do not try to venture into the forrest around the compound as it is very dense and you are highly likely to become lost.

[Jeeden]

16 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

I have been to ISP several times and my impression is that @Jeeden has not.  Am I correct?

 

In any event there is what is described as a "nature trail" but I would describe it as a path.  The trails which the bear spotting tours use are old logging roads not in the ISP compound at all but are miles away.  While folks probably should not say "never"  the odds of seeing a bear in the ISP approach zero.  And do not try to venture into the forrest around the compound as it is very dense and you are highly likely to become lost.

 

Thanks all. You are correct, I haven't been to ISP before. I didn't realize the tours went that far out as most of the maps seem to give the impression everything is in and around town. 

 

We would take one of the vehicle excursions, but already have used most of the budget for ISP on our whale watching tour there. Maybe they will have some discounts on the tours as we get closer. 

 

Appreciate the help.

[ImperialLady]

We were in ISP last year and took a ride into Hoonah. We spoke to the people that run https://wildbearsafari.com/ and wish we had known about them before we booked other excursions via Princess. We will be booking this when we go back in September

 

In addition to the likely sighting of Brown bears we will also encounter other wildlife, such as: Sitka Black Tailed Deer, Bald Eagles, Waterfowl, Beavers, Minx, Martens, Ravens and often we see Humpback Whales from the city dock.

Edited January 27, 2023 by ImperialLady

[Jeeden]

Thanks so much for the tip!

 

[ImperialLady]

1 hour ago, Jeeden said:

Thanks so much for the tip!

 

You are very welcome...we booked our cruise tour this afternoon on The Majestic 9-6-23/9-16-23 and booked with https://wildbearsafari.com/ on 9-12-23...we are so excited.

[miamoe]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:57 AM, ImperialLady said:

We were in ISP last year and took a ride into Hoonah. We spoke to the people that run https://wildbearsafari.com/ and wish we had known about them before we booked other excursions via Princess. We will be booking this when we go back in September

 

In addition to the likely sighting of Brown bears we will also encounter other wildlife, such as: Sitka Black Tailed Deer, Bald Eagles, Waterfowl, Beavers, Minx, Martens, Ravens and often we see Humpback Whales from the city dock.

Thanks for the info. Checked out the provided link for Wild Bear Safari and also read the reviews on Trip Advisor. Looks like a great time. Small group, personal service, and reasonably priced. We booked for 06/21/2023 when we will be in ISP.

[ImperialLady]

3 minutes ago, miamoe said:

Thanks for the info. Checked out the provided link for Wild Bear Safari and also read the reviews on Trip Advisor. Looks like a great time. Small group, personal service, and reasonably priced. We booked for 06/21/2023 when we will be in ISP.

Wonderful...can't wait to read about your experience. Everything I have read about it and the people we talked to highly recommended it!